Fula (Fulfulde, Pulaar, Pular'Fulaare)

Fula or Fulani is a member of the Senegambian branch of the
Niger-Congo language family spoken by about 13 million
people in many parts of West Africa. It is the first language
of the Fulɓe (Fula/Fulani), who life mainly in West
Africa, and also in Central and North Africa. Fula is also
spoken as a second language by others in the region. Fula
speakers can be found in Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Guinea,
Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gambia, Chad, Sierra
Leone, Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan, Central African Republic,
Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Liberia and Gabon.

Fula alphabets

The Arabic script was adapted to write Fula after the Arabic
conquests of Africa.

The Latin alphabet was introduced to Fula-speaking regions
by European missionaries, colonial administrators and scolars.
They devised a number of ways to write Fula. Some of the current
conventions used in in Fula writing were established at a conference
On African language orthographies held in Bamako in Mali in 1966.
There are still variations in the spelling of Fula between different
countries however.

Fula alphabet used in Senegal, Gambia and Mauritana

a

aa

b

mb

ɓ

c

d

nd

ɗ

e

ee

f

g

ng

h

i

ii

j

nj

k

l

m

ŋ

ñ

o

oo

p

r

s

t

u

uu

w

x

y

ƴ

The alphabet used in Mali and Burkina Faso is the same as the
above except ñ is written ɲ. The alphabet used in Niger,
Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad is as above except ñ is written ny.

Fula alphabet used in Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Liberia

a

b

ɓ

c

d

ɗ

e

f

g

h

i

j

k

l

m

mb

n

nd

ng

nj

ŋ

ñ

o

p

r

s

t

u

w

y

ƴ

Sample text in Fula

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They
are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another
in a spirit of brotherhood.(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)